In the not-too-distant future...
In the 97th year of the Konoha calendar, powerful ninjas from across the ninja world all received an invitation. The invitation invited them to participate in a tournament called "King of Ninjas."
Many strong contenders, each with their own motives, gathered for this tournament.
Among them was a descendant of the Senju clan, proficient in the use of Fire Release, named Senju Kyo.
Through years of training, Kyo had surpassed his father, Senju Saishu, at a young age, making him the most powerful heir in the family.
Ambitious, Kyo, after receiving the invitation, secretly ran away from home to participate in the tournament to test his strength.
Little did he know that he would meet his lifelong rival in this tournament—the terrifying Flame Envoy, Uchiha An.
Thus, a new legend tied to the ancient history of the Senju and Uchiha clans, dating back to the sealing of demons by their ancestors a thousand years ago, was about to begin...
This was the story that Tsunade extracted from the flashy opening animation of the game Nin-Oh 97.
Her thoughts on it were...
Though fictional, she was impressed that there was finally a Senju clan member who specialized in Fire Release—it wasn't easy to come by.
Also, shouldn't this game pay the Senju clan royalties?
But Tsunade didn't dwell on that thought for long.
While waiting in line earlier, she had learned that due to the high demand for machines, once a player lost, they would have to queue up again.
However, as a beginner, she had a 10-minute protection period during which she could play single-player mode without being challenged by other players. Even if she lost, she could continue by inserting more coins without having to get off the machine.
So now was not the time to focus on the plot. She needed to quickly learn how to play the game, or else she would lose when her protection ran out and have to wait in line again.
Honestly, if the protagonist wasn't a Senju, she wouldn't have bothered watching the opening scene at all.
Following the lead of other players, Tsunade pressed buttons and reached the character selection screen.
Although the game's backstory made the tournament sound grand, probably due to the game being newly developed, there were only eight playable characters.
These included the protagonist Senju Kyo, Uchiha An, the mysterious Hyuga Chizuru in white robes, and Shiranui Mai the Second, who inherited the name and style of the famous Shiranui-ryu ancestor.
Although she was a bit intrigued by Shiranui Mai, whose bust seemed to rival her own, Tsunade ultimately chose her "cheaper descendant" Senju Kyo for her first playthrough.
It seemed the game developers knew that people weren't too interested in the plot, so after briefly outlining the background, the game quickly moved into the gameplay.
Stage 1: Senju Kyo vs. the wandering swordsman Haohmaru.
As it was the first stage, the difficulty was low, and various hints appeared on the screen, allowing Tsunade to quickly grasp the game's mechanics and the functions of the buttons.
In short, the game involved using the joystick and buttons to control the character on the screen and defeat enemies in a 2D side-scrolling world.
Enemies could be controlled by other players, but in single-player mode, they were controlled by the game.
This single-player mode was mostly for practicing characters and passing time while waiting for opponents, so the difficulty wasn't too high.
As one of the top warriors in the ninja world, Tsunade easily mastered the game mechanics.
From performing special moves, stringing together combos of basic and special attacks, to using the ninja-specific Substitution Jutsu to counter opponents...
As she learned how to use the character and defeated each enemy, Tsunade gradually immersed herself in the world of Nin-Oh 97.
The game didn't fully replicate real ninja combat, likely for playability and hardware reasons, and instead relied on a system of attack, defense, and throws, forming a unique combat logic.
Even a battle-hardened warrior like Tsunade couldn't fully apply her real-world combat experience in this game.
Mastering the game would take time...
But rather than feeling discouraged, Tsunade was excited, thrilled to have found something new to delve into, reminiscent of the joy she had when learning various gambling games from her grandfather.
Time flew by.
Just after Tsunade had defeated the taijutsu ninja Ryu, a challenger notification popped up on the screen.
Her beginner's protection had expired after ten minutes.
But that was just what Tsunade wanted.
Although she had only played for ten minutes, she understood that the essence of the game could only be experienced through battling real opponents, so she had been eagerly awaiting her first challenger.
When her opponent appeared, the first thing to pop up was a betting screen.
Because this game also involved gambling, spectators could place bets, and players could wager on themselves before a match. Once both sides confirmed their bets, the battle would begin.
Her opponent seemed confident, increasing the stakes multiple times. Tsunade wasn't one to back down and quickly followed suit.
After several rounds of raising the stakes, they reached the match's betting limit of 10,000 ryo. Tsunade then started her first PVP battle.
The screen changed once again, transitioning into the battle scene.
Senju Kyo vs. Shiranui Mai.
This time, Tsunade finally saw Shiranui Mai's true form.
After sizing up Shiranui Mai's chest with her eyes, Tsunade scoffed with disdain:
"Hmph, that's it?"
"With something that small, she dares to flaunt it, wearing such revealing clothes? She's really tarnishing the reputation of kunoichi."
Shizune glanced at the game screen and thought, "That's not small by any means."
But then she looked at Tsunade and realized she had nothing more to say.
Indeed, when your bust is that big, you're always right.
As the match began, Tsunade expertly controlled Senju Kyo, mercilessly pummeling Shiranui Mai.
It was as if she was genuinely teaching a lesson to this kunoichi who tarnished their reputation.
Perhaps she forgot that Shiranui Mai's controller was likely just some guy at the machine…
Maybe it was because the game was new, but everyone seemed to be a beginner, so Tsunade didn't feel much difference between fighting real players and the CPU. She quickly won two rounds and easily defeated her opponent.
K.O.!
As the victory announcement rang out, Tsunade saw the money appear in the top-right corner of the screen.
After deducting a 10% fee, Tsunade had earned 9,000 ryo from the match.
"Lady Tsunade, that's amazing! You finally won!"
Shizune, who had been watching with bated breath, was excited and a little incredulous.
"Yeah, I can't believe I actually won."
Though it had been an easy victory, Tsunade let out a long sigh of relief.
After all, her legendary losing streak at gambling was no joke. Even she hadn't expected to win so easily.
It seemed that in this game, although there was an element of gambling, skill was the key to victory, which meant her bad luck didn't have as much influence.
Realizing this, Tsunade couldn't suppress a grin, her eyes twinkling with joy.
Because this meant she could finally escape that terrible curse and compete on an even playing field with others.
It turned out that when she told Uncle Ryoma that she felt her luck was turning, she hadn't been mistaken.
After nearly thirty years of losing every gamble, could Tsunade finally be entering her own springtime?
(End of Chapter)